The invention relates generally to construction, excavation and turf equipment and, more specifically, to a novel apparatus for the even application of backfill material at an excavated site at a consistent, predetermined grade or level.
It is understood by those in the construction and excavation trades that various types of excavated sites require backfilling. For example, if an operator excavates or digs a trench and lays underground pipe, the pipe then is covered with the dirt or other material and the trench then is filled in or backfilled. The trench can be filled with various materials, such as the dirt that was removed to form the trench or sand, gravel, rock or any desired material. In most cases, the backfill material is crudely pushed back into the trench with the excavating equipment and then finished by hand. Alternatively, the backfill material is shoveled back into the trench by hand, which is quite labor intensive.
In some applications, pipe, for example, which is placed in a trench must be placed on a bedding of specified material, such as gravel and then covered with the gravel before the trench is backfilled with dirt. Such applications include the installation of subterranean drain pipes in athletic fields, golf courses and the like. The bedding of gravel as well as the gravel covering the pipe must be placed evenly in the trench as a predetermined grade. Because the trenches often are narrow, a laborer is required to shovel the gravel into the trench and then rake the gravel into the specified grade. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this procedure is extremely time consuming and costly.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to have automated equipment that can install the bedding material, such as gravel, within a trench at a predetermined grade, thus reducing the time and cost of the application.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for depositing material in a trench at a predetermined grade.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus that can be mounted on the back of a vehicle, such as a tractor or a trailer, for use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus for use in a form that is itself towable or movable along a trench, such as providing the apparatus in trailer form.
Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus that can deposit the material at a predetermined grade guided by a laser.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus that is safe and easy to use, economical to construct, and well suited for its intended purposes.
In summary, the novel apparatus for depositing material within a trench includes a hopper to store a quantity of the material and an elongated chute extending down from the hopper which is configured to fit appropriately within a trench. The apparatus includes a gate between the hopper and the chute for controlling flow of material out of the hopper through the chute. The gate can be manually or automatically controlled. The apparatus preferably is mounted on the back of vehicle such as a tractor or a trailer and includes a laser guided control system which automatically controls the depth of deposit of material at a predetermined level or grade.
More specifically, the present invention includes apparatus for depositing material in a trench, the apparatus comprising a hopper, an elongated chute coupled to the hopper and extending downwardly therefrom, and a gate between the hopper and the elongated chute, wherein the apparatus is coupled to a an adjustable mounting means configured d for coupling to a vehicle, the adjustable mounting means further configured to variably position the apparatus along a substantially vertical axis with respect to the vehicle. The adjustable mounting means is, for example, a hydraulic mount.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed toward apparatus for backfilling a trench at a predetermined grade, the apparatus comprising a hopper, an elongated chute coupled to the hopper and extending downwardly therefrom, and a gate between the hopper and the elongated chute, wherein the apparatus is coupled to a vehicle having a hydraulic positioning system further configured to variably position the apparatus along a substantially vertical axis with respect to the vehicle as the vehicle advances along the trench so that a lower edge of the chute is maintained at the predetermined grade level.
In still another aspect, the present invention is directed toward a method for maintaining a predetermined grade level of material while backfilling a trench with the material, the method comprising providing apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving the material, the hopper coupled to an elongated chute having a lower edge, and a gate between the hopper and chute for controlling the flow of material from the hopper into the chute, coupling the apparatus to a vehicle using a variably positionable mounting means configured so that the relative position of the apparatus is adjustable along a substantially vertical axis with respect to the vehicle, lowering the apparatus until the lower edge of the chute is positioned at the predetermined grade level, and filling the trench with material to the predetermined grade level by advancing the apparatus along the trench while maintaining the lower edge of the chute at the predetermined grade level, thereby controlling the flow of material through the chute.
In use, the operator digs a trench and the pipe is installed in the trench at the predetermined grade. The pipe then is covered with the appropriate material, such as gravel by using the novel device as follows. A laser emission device, or laser sender, is positioned at the site at a predetermined grade and a laser signal emitted by the laser sender is received by a conventional laser receiving device which is mounted on the apparatus and tractor and operatively connected to hydraulics on the tractor to raise or lower the apparatus in response to the laser signal. The hopper is filled with gravel. The operator lowers the chute into the trench and above the pipe to the predetermined grade. The operator then moves the tractor forward along the path of the trench and opens the apparatus gate so that the gravel is deposited on the pipe at the predetermined grade. The depth of the grade is adjusted in response to the laser signal as the tractor proceeds along the length of the trench thereby depositing the gravel on the pipe at the predetermined grade along the length of the trench. If a bedding of gravel is required on the floor of the trench before the pipe is laid, it is applied to the floor of the trench using the just recited procedure.